Where Great Ideas Take Off
A look at how technology is changing the American news-scape and more
Monday, January 31, 2011
Write for USAToday.com, LIVESTRONG.com, E-How and More
Freelance writing jobs available at Demand Media. Check them here.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Blog Presentation Assignments and Schedule
Here goes so far:
Wednesday, Feb. 16: Autoblog/Rachel and Markreads.net/Janelle
Wednesday, Feb. 23: BoingBoing/Rin
Wednesday, Feb. 30: Grist.Org/Justin and Physorg.com/Lauren
Wednesday, March 2: Bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/Montana
Wednesday, March 23: Vulture/Natalie
Wednesday, March 30: TMZ/Jenna and PerezHilton/Kaylie
If you haven't requested your blog, please do so right away and I'll add you to the schedule. Presentations should be between 15 and 20 minutes (more is fine). Use a multi-media approach. Presentations should include information about the history of the blog, the demographic for the blog, the range and quality and sources of the blog's content, the blog's place in its own blogosphere, etc. We'll cover more details on Wednesday, Feb. 9.
Wednesday, Feb. 16: Autoblog/Rachel and Markreads.net/Janelle
Wednesday, Feb. 23: BoingBoing/Rin
Wednesday, Feb. 30: Grist.Org/Justin and Physorg.com/Lauren
Wednesday, March 2: Bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/Montana
Wednesday, March 23: Vulture/Natalie
Wednesday, March 30: TMZ/Jenna and PerezHilton/Kaylie
If you haven't requested your blog, please do so right away and I'll add you to the schedule. Presentations should be between 15 and 20 minutes (more is fine). Use a multi-media approach. Presentations should include information about the history of the blog, the demographic for the blog, the range and quality and sources of the blog's content, the blog's place in its own blogosphere, etc. We'll cover more details on Wednesday, Feb. 9.
The Story of One Immigrant
Listen to Arianna talk about her beginnings in this interview from One Dream.
Tonight's Class Canceled Due to Weather
Due to severe weather advisories, tonight's class (Wednesday, Feb. 25) is canceled. Please check your e-mail for more information.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Journalism/PR Internships of the Week: Financial Aid Blogging, Sports Blogging and (Montana, this one's for you) Bike Blogging
Blog for Go Financial Aid -- and get college credit, a $500 bonus, and web-writing experience. More info here.
If you'd rather yell "Go Steelers," maybe SportsJury is the right blog for you. They're looking for interns. More here.
Or roll on over to Different Spokes and blog about bicycling. The compensation is 50% off bike repairs. Plus you get experience. And clips. N'at. More here.
If you'd rather yell "Go Steelers," maybe SportsJury is the right blog for you. They're looking for interns. More here.
Or roll on over to Different Spokes and blog about bicycling. The compensation is 50% off bike repairs. Plus you get experience. And clips. N'at. More here.
Assignments -- January 19
In class: Lecture/Review -- Community in Blogging
Workshop of blogs and discussion of community
Assignment:
* Actively participate in your blog community all week. Work to keep conversations going.
* Write/create three new blog posts.
* Find two new blogosphere friends and add them to the list of blogs you follow.
* Read Chapter 6 in Huffington and read The Huff Post throughout the week.
* Choose the blog you'd like to research and report on. Post your blog request in the comments section of this post.
The World's Most Dangerous Blog
Visit the new issue of Sampsonia Way for an interview with journalist Judith Torrea, author of the blog Juarez en la Sombra del Narcotrafico (Juarez Under the Shadow of Drug Trafficking). Judith's blog, a finalist for the 2010 Best of Blogs Award in the Reporters Without Borders category, reports on the battles between drug cartels and the Mexican government. "The danger there is to be alive," Torrea, whose life is constantly in danger because of her refusal to be silent, tells Sampsonia Way. Another story on Torrea also recently appeared in Salon.com. Read it here.
Sampsonia Way is the magazine published by Pittsburgh's City of Asylum. CoA provides safe haven for writers and artists whose lives are threatened in their home countries. CoA houses are located on Sampsonia Way in Pittsburgh's North Side. For more information, visit Pittsburgh City of Asylum
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Blogging Class Schedule and Assignments: Wednesday, Jan. 12
In Class -- Quick quiz on readings. Lecture/review of chapters 1-3 using the Huffington Post's coverage of the Tucson shootings as examples. Review and workshop of class blogs.
Assignments:
1. Link to each other's blogs.
2. Choose a partner (or two) from class. This will be your primary reader.
3. Comment on your partner's/partners' posts all week. Your partner/partners will comment on your posts, too. Keep conversations going.
4. Keep your blog active. At least three posts for the week (more is better)
5. Find two other bloggers in your blogosphere (outside of class) who share your interests. Link to their blogs and begin a conversation.
6. Read Chapters 4-5 in Huffington.
Assignments:
1. Link to each other's blogs.
2. Choose a partner (or two) from class. This will be your primary reader.
3. Comment on your partner's/partners' posts all week. Your partner/partners will comment on your posts, too. Keep conversations going.
4. Keep your blog active. At least three posts for the week (more is better)
5. Find two other bloggers in your blogosphere (outside of class) who share your interests. Link to their blogs and begin a conversation.
6. Read Chapters 4-5 in Huffington.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Assignments for Week 1.5+
1. Set up your blog. Use Blogger per class discussion. When you have your blog address, e-mail it to me at lljakiela@gmail.com. I'll compile a list of everyone's blogs and we'll add them to all of your individual blog rolls in class.
2. Write your first one or two or three blog entries. Your first entry should ideally explain what your blog will be about and why you're the person the write it. Something like that.
3. Read Chapters 1-3 in Huffington Guide
4. Become familiar with The Huffington Post and be prepared to discuss in class.
We'll have a quick quiz on the readings, a follow-up lecture and discussion. Then we'll look at each blog and discuss what's working, what could be improved and more.
Happy blogging!
2. Write your first one or two or three blog entries. Your first entry should ideally explain what your blog will be about and why you're the person the write it. Something like that.
3. Read Chapters 1-3 in Huffington Guide
4. Become familiar with The Huffington Post and be prepared to discuss in class.
We'll have a quick quiz on the readings, a follow-up lecture and discussion. Then we'll look at each blog and discuss what's working, what could be improved and more.
Happy blogging!
Meet Tavi. She's 14. Founder of The Style Rookie.
And a fashion force -- all from her blog The Style Rookie.
Here she is at work covering the Rodarte collection for Target.
How To Set Up Your Blog With Blogger
Here's a step-by-step tutorial from the nice folks at Google Blogger.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Top 100 Blogs According to Technorati
This list is updated on Technorati daily. You'll choose one of these blogs for your class presentation. Technorati Top 100
Course Syllabus
Topics in Nonfiction
Writing for the Web/Blog Focus
Professor Jakiela
208 Faculty Office Building
Office #: 724-836-7481
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. – Noon; Wednesdays 3-4 p.m. and by appt.
E-Mail: lljakiela@gmail.com
Course Meets: Tuesdays, 7-9:30, 137 McKenna Hall
Required Texts:
The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging, ed. by Ariana Huffington
Elements of Style, by Strunk & White
Blog UPG (check daily for class news, writing prompts, blog links and more): http://www.blogupg.blogspot.com
The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com – Be sure to register. It’s free.) and other blogs and new media sites as assigned
About the course:
When it comes to influencing both mainstream media and public opinion, one thing’s certain. The blogosphere has its own gravitational pull.
Some statistics: According to Business Week.com and Technorati, there are over 112 million blogs tracked on the web (not all of these are active blogs, but still).
Thirty three percent of all daily blog posts are in English. Other sites, like the social networks Facebook and MySpace, allow users to post blogs on their pages. As of this month, there are over 500 million active Facebook users – many of whom add their own voices to the blogosphere.
While the growth of new and active blogs seems to be peaking, audiences for blogs continue to grow. Bloggers have affected the outcomes of recent elections. They’ve exposed political scandals. They’ve led calls to action. They entertain and inform. They offer breaking news. And some, like Perez Hilton and Arianna Huffington, pre-pubescent fashionista Tavi Gevinson and WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange have become celebrities themselves.
In short, blogs and other forms of social media – including vcasts, podcasts, and social networks – are having an undeniable impact on traditional media. And they’re having an undeniable impact on both the way we think and learn about and respond to the world around us.
This semester, you’ll take an active part in this continually-developing medium. You’ll set up and maintain your own blogs. You’ll develop an online community and participate actively in your classmates’ blogs. You’ll join the conversation on other blogs, too. We’ll study some of the most popular and influential blogs, particularly The Huffington Post. We’ll discuss the effect of blogs on mainstream media and on all of us as consumers of information and news. We’ll learn how the emergence of new technology continually changes the way both traditional and new journalists do business.
And we’ll learn about the ways blogs – and all of us -- can be more useful in the world.
COURSE COMPONENTS
THEORY
We will study the ethics and evolution of blogging and social media. We will look at a variety of blogs – some terrific, some good, some bad, some ugly. We’ll analyze the impact of the blogosphere on traditional reportage. We will also examine the ethics of traditional and social journalism, and discuss blogging ethics and guidelines.
To this end, you will each choose a blog to study. Over the course of the term, you’ll become an expert on that blog. You’ll each do a 10-minute in-class report on your assigned blog, and make informed judgments on the value of the blog, its journalistic impact, its usefulness, and its ethical stance. You’ll complete one 7-10 page research paper on this blog. Your paper will be due at the end of the term. In-class reports will be scattered throughout the term. A sign-up sheet for reports will be available sometime during the first few weeks of class.
YOUR OWN BLOGS
You’ll each set up your own blogs. For consistency, we’ll all use Blogger. You’ll need a Gmail account (it’s free). We’ll start planning the blogs the first day of class.
Once established, all of your classmates’ blogs should appear on your blogroll. You should participate in your blogging community. You’ll be sending comments and links, reading each other’s daily posts, etc.
Each week, one or two blogs will be up for review. During that week, I’ll drop in on your community, check your progress, add my own commentary, evaluate your posts, etc. Guidelines regarding the quality and content of blogs are clearly explained in the HuffPost’s Guide to Blogging.
In addition to being part of your larger blogging community, I’ll pair each of you with a partner to provide you with more focused one-on-one feedback each week.
You should also try to move beyond our class and link to other blogs. Research other bloggers who share your interests and follow them. Link to their blogs. Expand your audience and your information sources. Experiment out there.
SOMETHING NEW
We’re working with a medium that’s constantly evolving. Please plan for this class to be a bit less structured than other classes. You’ll want to come to class and pay attention to be sure you’re on pace. You should also plan to check here at our class website for updates, writing prompts, relevant links, etc.
In addition to completing your assignments, I ask that you:
• Come to class and participate.
• Meet all deadlines.
• Apply excellent grammar and precision. Write well and care deeply. Blog-writing is more open and less formal than other kinds of writing, but good writing is good writing. Quality matters. You’ll be graded on the quality of your posts.
• Maintain ethical standards (tell the truth, no libel, no malice, etc.)
• Commit to your blog and be serious about it. Maintain an active blog – no periods of complete downtime. Update at least three times each week, ideally more.
• Be willing to adapt and be creative
• Be passionate about your subject and write for an audience
• Be a good citizen of both your classroom and blog communities.
Your grade will depend on all of the above.
Core Requirements
• Establish and maintain an active, quality blog
• Participate in your blog community
• Pass quizzes on readings
• Complete one 10-minute in-class presentation on a blog of your choice
• Complete one 7-10 page research paper on a blog of your choice. (Due at the end of the term.)
• Attend class. If you miss more than two classes, your grade will drop by one letter for every additional unexcused absence.
Note About Class Cancellations
I will be in touch with you via e-mail and via our class blog if I ever need to cancel our class for any reason. Please check your Pitt e-mail.
Learning Disabilities
If you have a disability, please see Lou Ann Sears in the Learning Resources Center to file the necessary paperwork. The LRC is located on the first floor of the Faculty Office Building.
Writing for the Web/Blog Focus
Professor Jakiela
208 Faculty Office Building
Office #: 724-836-7481
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. – Noon; Wednesdays 3-4 p.m. and by appt.
E-Mail: lljakiela@gmail.com
Course Meets: Tuesdays, 7-9:30, 137 McKenna Hall
Required Texts:
The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging, ed. by Ariana Huffington
Elements of Style, by Strunk & White
Blog UPG (check daily for class news, writing prompts, blog links and more): http://www.blogupg.blogspot.com
The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com – Be sure to register. It’s free.) and other blogs and new media sites as assigned
About the course:
When it comes to influencing both mainstream media and public opinion, one thing’s certain. The blogosphere has its own gravitational pull.
Some statistics: According to Business Week.com and Technorati, there are over 112 million blogs tracked on the web (not all of these are active blogs, but still).
Thirty three percent of all daily blog posts are in English. Other sites, like the social networks Facebook and MySpace, allow users to post blogs on their pages. As of this month, there are over 500 million active Facebook users – many of whom add their own voices to the blogosphere.
While the growth of new and active blogs seems to be peaking, audiences for blogs continue to grow. Bloggers have affected the outcomes of recent elections. They’ve exposed political scandals. They’ve led calls to action. They entertain and inform. They offer breaking news. And some, like Perez Hilton and Arianna Huffington, pre-pubescent fashionista Tavi Gevinson and WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange have become celebrities themselves.
In short, blogs and other forms of social media – including vcasts, podcasts, and social networks – are having an undeniable impact on traditional media. And they’re having an undeniable impact on both the way we think and learn about and respond to the world around us.
This semester, you’ll take an active part in this continually-developing medium. You’ll set up and maintain your own blogs. You’ll develop an online community and participate actively in your classmates’ blogs. You’ll join the conversation on other blogs, too. We’ll study some of the most popular and influential blogs, particularly The Huffington Post. We’ll discuss the effect of blogs on mainstream media and on all of us as consumers of information and news. We’ll learn how the emergence of new technology continually changes the way both traditional and new journalists do business.
And we’ll learn about the ways blogs – and all of us -- can be more useful in the world.
COURSE COMPONENTS
THEORY
We will study the ethics and evolution of blogging and social media. We will look at a variety of blogs – some terrific, some good, some bad, some ugly. We’ll analyze the impact of the blogosphere on traditional reportage. We will also examine the ethics of traditional and social journalism, and discuss blogging ethics and guidelines.
To this end, you will each choose a blog to study. Over the course of the term, you’ll become an expert on that blog. You’ll each do a 10-minute in-class report on your assigned blog, and make informed judgments on the value of the blog, its journalistic impact, its usefulness, and its ethical stance. You’ll complete one 7-10 page research paper on this blog. Your paper will be due at the end of the term. In-class reports will be scattered throughout the term. A sign-up sheet for reports will be available sometime during the first few weeks of class.
YOUR OWN BLOGS
You’ll each set up your own blogs. For consistency, we’ll all use Blogger. You’ll need a Gmail account (it’s free). We’ll start planning the blogs the first day of class.
Once established, all of your classmates’ blogs should appear on your blogroll. You should participate in your blogging community. You’ll be sending comments and links, reading each other’s daily posts, etc.
Each week, one or two blogs will be up for review. During that week, I’ll drop in on your community, check your progress, add my own commentary, evaluate your posts, etc. Guidelines regarding the quality and content of blogs are clearly explained in the HuffPost’s Guide to Blogging.
In addition to being part of your larger blogging community, I’ll pair each of you with a partner to provide you with more focused one-on-one feedback each week.
You should also try to move beyond our class and link to other blogs. Research other bloggers who share your interests and follow them. Link to their blogs. Expand your audience and your information sources. Experiment out there.
SOMETHING NEW
We’re working with a medium that’s constantly evolving. Please plan for this class to be a bit less structured than other classes. You’ll want to come to class and pay attention to be sure you’re on pace. You should also plan to check here at our class website for updates, writing prompts, relevant links, etc.
In addition to completing your assignments, I ask that you:
• Come to class and participate.
• Meet all deadlines.
• Apply excellent grammar and precision. Write well and care deeply. Blog-writing is more open and less formal than other kinds of writing, but good writing is good writing. Quality matters. You’ll be graded on the quality of your posts.
• Maintain ethical standards (tell the truth, no libel, no malice, etc.)
• Commit to your blog and be serious about it. Maintain an active blog – no periods of complete downtime. Update at least three times each week, ideally more.
• Be willing to adapt and be creative
• Be passionate about your subject and write for an audience
• Be a good citizen of both your classroom and blog communities.
Your grade will depend on all of the above.
Core Requirements
• Establish and maintain an active, quality blog
• Participate in your blog community
• Pass quizzes on readings
• Complete one 10-minute in-class presentation on a blog of your choice
• Complete one 7-10 page research paper on a blog of your choice. (Due at the end of the term.)
• Attend class. If you miss more than two classes, your grade will drop by one letter for every additional unexcused absence.
Note About Class Cancellations
I will be in touch with you via e-mail and via our class blog if I ever need to cancel our class for any reason. Please check your Pitt e-mail.
Learning Disabilities
If you have a disability, please see Lou Ann Sears in the Learning Resources Center to file the necessary paperwork. The LRC is located on the first floor of the Faculty Office Building.
Welcome to Blog U
Think of this course as a full-on journey into the blogosphere.
During the term, you'll create your own blog. The subject will be up to you, but it must be something you're passionate about and something you can get others to be passionate about, too.
There are some great and successful blogs about things like bacon and cupcakes and fashion. There are smart -- seriously! -- about celebrities and fun -- seriously! -- blogs about technology. Your passion can be high brow or low brow or anything in between. Find a subject that matters to you, something you can write about with energy and enthusiasm, and something you won't get sick of any time soon.
If you aren't passionate about anything, you probably want to get off at the next stop. This is definitely not the class for you.
Passion is key here.
So is discipline.
You'll write constantly. You'll be required to self-edit. You'll be required to write often, fast and well. You'll identify and write for a specific audience, and be held accountable to that audience. You'll be part of a blogging community. And you'll develop that wonderful writerly thing called voice.
You'll also become an expert on at least one other blog, and become a fearless explorer of the vast worlds of new media.
In the end, I hope you'll become a better writer, develop some useful skills and have fun along the way.
That's right. Fun. What good's a journey without fun?
Welcome to the world of new media!
During the term, you'll create your own blog. The subject will be up to you, but it must be something you're passionate about and something you can get others to be passionate about, too.
There are some great and successful blogs about things like bacon and cupcakes and fashion. There are smart -- seriously! -- about celebrities and fun -- seriously! -- blogs about technology. Your passion can be high brow or low brow or anything in between. Find a subject that matters to you, something you can write about with energy and enthusiasm, and something you won't get sick of any time soon.
If you aren't passionate about anything, you probably want to get off at the next stop. This is definitely not the class for you.
Passion is key here.
So is discipline.
You'll write constantly. You'll be required to self-edit. You'll be required to write often, fast and well. You'll identify and write for a specific audience, and be held accountable to that audience. You'll be part of a blogging community. And you'll develop that wonderful writerly thing called voice.
You'll also become an expert on at least one other blog, and become a fearless explorer of the vast worlds of new media.
In the end, I hope you'll become a better writer, develop some useful skills and have fun along the way.
That's right. Fun. What good's a journey without fun?
Welcome to the world of new media!
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